Artificial Light Is Making You Sick - by Ryan Mitchel Brown
Over the past 120 years the rates of chronic diseases (mental and physical) have exponentially increased.
In 2024 Neurodegenerative Conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s became the leading causes of death across the United States.
According to findings, an estimated 20 million cancer cases were newly diagnosed in 2022 and 9.7 million people died from the disease worldwide. By 2050, the number of cancer cases is predicted to reach a whopping 35 million.
Right now more than 1 in 2 children have at least one chronic disease, by 2025 it is predicted to be 8 in 10.
40% of adults aged 20 or older are obese, and the average American takes at least 4 prescription medications.
”This new normal. IS NOT NORMAL!”
While centralized science has been left flopping on the “why,” there’s one DRAMATIC change that occurred in 1879 that has contributed to all of the above…the advent of modern lighting!
First let’s discuss the history of modern lighting, its evolution, and how we got to where we are today.
From the 1800s to 2024:
Pre-1800s: Candles, lanterns, and gas lighting were the primary sources of lighting.
1800s: - 1802: Humphry Davy demonstrates the principle of the incandescent light bulb using a battery and a thin strip of carbon. - 1845: Frederick de Moleyns patents an incandescent light bulb using a vacuum pump to remove air from the bulb. - 1860s: Joseph Swan and Hiram Maxim develop carbon filament bulbs, but they have short lifespans and are inefficient.
Late 1800s: - 1878: Thomas Edison develops a longer-lasting bamboo filament bulb. - 1879: Edison develops a carbon filament bulb that lasts 13.5 hours.
1880: Edison develops a longer-lasting bamboo filament bulb and begins commercial production.
Early 1900s: - 1901: The General Electric Company (GE) is formed, and Edison's company becomes a subsidiary. - 1904: GE develops a tungsten filament bulb, which lasts longer and is more efficient.
Mid-1900s: - 1920s: Fluorescent lighting becomes popular for commercial use. - 1940s: Halogen bulbs are developed, which last longer and are more efficient.
Late 1900s: - 1970s: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are developed, which use less energy and last longer. - 1990s: LED lighting begins to emerge, with the first commercial LEDs available in the late 1990s.
2000s: - 2008: LED lighting becomes more widely available and begins to replace incandescent bulbs. - 2010s: Smart lighting and wireless control systems become popular.
2020s: - 2020: LED lighting accounts for over 50% of global lighting sales. - 2024: The lightbulb continues to evolve with advancements in LED technology, smart lighting, and energy efficiency.
Artificial Light Is arguably the most pervasive environmental toxin in our modern world. In 2024 we spend 90% of our days indoors under artificial light, in front of phones, tablets, televisions, and computers.
Screen technology is a major part of every child’s learning experience and it’s not going away.’
Turns out that teens spend an average of 8½ hours on screens per day, and tweens – that's ages 8 to 12 – are not far behind, at 5½ hours daily.
This constant stimulus isn’t benign. Humans are diurnal in nature (meaning we’re awake during the day and asleep at night); however, the advent of light technology allowed us to light up the night in ways never done before.
This change in light has become exponentially more destructive over the last 30 years during the age of technology.
HOW OUR TECH ADDICTION IS PROLIFERATING DISEASE
Circadian Rhythm is one of the most important bodily functions, and dysregulation has shown to cause negative health outcomes. Outcomes such as increased risk of premature death, metabolic syndrome, and neurological dysfunction. (Canever et al.)
Maintaining circadian homeostasis can be interrupted by a number of things, the biggest being light (specifically artificial blue light). It was shown by Korean researchers that when commercial smart phones were used in a bright environment at night, the values of melatonin suppression were significantly higher. (Mortazavi et al.) This shows that artificial blue light can delay or advance the circadian clock and alter normal functioning. Other factors can include food, temperature, and physical activity. (Canever et al.)
This diagram shows the process of circadian regulation at an anatomical and physiological level. The ipRGC’s capture the light, then it travels from the retinohypothalamic tract to the suprachiasmatic nucleus where circadian rhythm is accomplished. (Canever et al.)
In people with Parkinson’s, we see greater levels of circadian fluctuation, this can cause something known as reverse dipping. This phenomenon causes higher blood pressure at night than during the day, this can lead to a predisposition for cardiovascular disease. (Canever et al.)
Circadian dysregulation has also been linked to Alzheimer’s, as the sleep wake cycle is known to regulate beta-amyloid levels in regions such as the cerebrospinal fluid. This demonstrates that having a good sleep-wake cycle could be an important protective factor in Alzheimer’s disease. (Canever et al.)
Circadian clock genes are being researched to see what the relation they could have to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease, etc. Many of these studies have found links between circadian imbalance and these neurodegenerative diseases. For example, in patients with Parkinson’s, lower expression levels of clock genes such as BMAL1, PER2, and CLOCK is observed. (Canever et al.) In patients with Alzheimer’s, chronic sleep deprivation reduced BMAL1, CLOCK, and CRY1 levels. (Canever et al.)
BMAL1 is a key component when discussing what drives circadian rhythm, and in studies, “recently it was found BMAL1 deficiency in knockout mice for the BMAL1 transcription factor showed expressive cognitive decline.” (Canever et al.) And in relation to Alzheimer’s disease, that “increased methylation of this gene has recently been shown to correlate with AD severity.” (Canever et al.)
Reiterating that circadian balance and function are extremely important to both physical and mental health, and without that proper balance it can lead to many types of cognitive dysfunction or cognitive degeneration.
But the good news is that you are in control of your own health!
You can control your light environment by seeing morning/evening light, opening windows, and reducing screen time.
Minimize all blue light and embrace the natural light, go on a walk, go on a hike, reconnect with nature, return to the source, and heal your circadian balance!
For screen control downloading programs like flux and using alternative blue light free/low flicker light bulbs can help balance your indoor environment, but these are purely supplemental.
(For more studies refer to “My Favorite Light Resource”)
What if there was a screen that DIDN’T NEED to be tampered with, but was actually HEALTHY for you? Now There Is…
INTRODUCING THE “DAYLIGHT COMPUTER”
The FIRST non-addictive computer. We had the pleasure of speaking to founder Anjan in a Decentralized Radio Podcast (Listen Here For More Details)
Sincerely your friendly neighborhood health nerd,
Ryan
Canever, Jaquelini Betta, et al. “Circadian Rhythm Alterations Affecting the Pathology Of ...” Wiley Online Library, 26 June 2023, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jnc.15883.
Mortazavi, Seyed Mohammad Javad, et al. “Is It Blue Light or Increased Electromagnetic Fields Which Affects the Circadian Rhythm in People Who Use Smartphones at Night.” Iranian Journal of Public Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851763/.
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